


The More Things Change

by Medie



Category: Star Trek (2009)
Genre: Alternate Reality, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Community: help_haiti, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-03-06
Updated: 2011-03-06
Packaged: 2017-10-16 19:41:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/168668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Medie/pseuds/Medie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He's known her for all of thirty seconds (give or take) and he can see it already. Jane Kirk approaches life at high warp, takes no prisoners, and leaves the galaxy rocked back on its proverbial heels.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The More Things Change

**Author's Note:**

  * For [chocochip_pie](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=chocochip_pie).



> Horribly late, but this is for [](http://www.dreamwidth.org/profile?user=chocochip_pie)[**chocochip_pie**](http://www.dreamwidth.org/profile?user=chocochip_pie) who wanted a girl!Kirk/McCoy drabble for [](http://help-haiti.dreamwidth.org/profile)[**help_haiti**](http://help-haiti.dreamwidth.org/). This is HORRIBLY late and I am so very sorry about that.

The Klingons rip the transport apart in seconds.

A few more and they're transporting aboard. A minute or two and that's when the _real_ fight begins.

Chaos explodes as passengers and crew alike start to run in all directions, desperately looking for an escape that just isn't coming.

Surrounded by this, Leonard grabs Joanna by the hand, picturing the diatribe Jocelyn's lawyer'll be unleashing on him (assuming they survive this), and runs for cover. He makes it three decks and all the way down to the cargo hold before any of the Klingons can spot them.

He's not in uniform, but Leonard's made no secret of being Starfleet. Passengers and crew alike know and he's not willing to trust his child's safety to their goodwill. A Starfleet hostage would look pretty good to any enterprising Klingon commander.

He presses back against the wall, peering around the corner before running toward the cargo bay doors. Joanna's silent, always was smart as a whip, having kicked off her shoes to run sock-footed beside him.

They stop, breathing hard, at the center of the cargo hold in which there are large barrels and crates bolted down everywhere. Leonard starts scanning labels, looking for something not even the fucking Klingons would want, and finally decides on the back. There's enough on the transport that they'll be busy awhile, give Starfleet a chance to answer that distress call and find the ship before the Klingons find _them_.

This is a civilian transport, but Leonard's no fool. He knows what gets moved around on these things and knows there's a compartment here somewhere. Romulan ale, weapons, Orions, whatever needs hiding gets hid.

He finds the hatch to a Jeffries tube and opens it up. If there's a hidden compartment, they just might find it here. "In you get," he murmurs to Joanna.

"Starfleet's coming, right, Daddy?" she asks, looking up.

"They're right on our heels, baby," he answers, not sure who he's really referring to.

He hears booted feet pounding on floor and urges Joanna into the shaft. Climbing in behind her, Leonard pulls the hatch shut again and gestures. Joanna doesn't need telling twice and starts crawling deeper into the dark.

If the Klingons are carrying handscanners, they'll be dead long before they find safe quarter, he knows that, but Leonard keeps moving anyway. The way he sees it, the universe has been fucking with him for years. It owes him a thing or two, or fifty.

Either way, when the ship starts to shudder with weapon's fire impact, he stops. Hunching against the wall, Leonard wraps his baby girl in his arms and holds on tight.

Nobody'll ever prove it, but maybe he starts praying a little.

Just the same, when he hears a woman's voice over the comm, he figures that thinking she sounds like an angel seems like a pretty fair comparison to him.

"This is Commander Jane Kirk of the _USS Farragut_ to all passengers, the ship is secure. Repeat, the ship is secure. We have apprehended the raiders and their ship. Stay where you are, we'll be sending security and medical teams throughout the vessel."

Joanna starts to move and Leonard's halfway to following before a thought occurs to him. He reaches out, grabbing his daughter's hand, and brings her up solid. "No," he sighs. "It could be a trick."

They stop, settling down once more, and Leonard tries like hell to remember all the 'Fleet personnel he's served with. Nobody named Jane Kirk comes to mind and it's not like he can run a search at the moment.

"It didn't sound like a trick," Joanna says in a stage whisper. "She doesn't have an accent." She tucks her knees beneath her chin, in the faint light he can see her eyes as she looks at him. "Klingons can't speak Standard that well. Not in the vids I've seen."

He doesn't say anything to that. Can't bring himself to do it, won't even try. She's too young for the ugly truth behind the Klingons. He just lays a hand on her foot and squeezes a little. "We just have to be sure, honey. If they're 'Fleet, they'll find us before long."

Which as it turns out, isn't long at all. The hatch swings open, a blonde head sticks in, and a very human woman grins widely at them. "Ah, our two stragglers." She holds out a hand toward Joanna. "I'm Commander Kirk and you, I surmise, must be Doctor and Miss McCoy." Helping Joanna out of the tube, she asks. "Tell me, Miss, have you ever seen a Constitution class ship up close?"

Joanna's smile is bright as she follows beautiful blonde and, this time, Leonard's right there with her.

-

"The transport's pretty much a loss," Commander Kirk is saying. She's leaning against their cabin door, keeping it open as she watches them pack. "Lucky for you, _Farragut_ 's headed in for some upgrades at Utopia Planetia."

"Ride's much appreciated, Commander," Leonard says, closing his travel case. He looks at her, stunning in her command gold, and realizes her eyes are following Joanna. There's a longing there, a pain, that he recognizes pretty damn well.

Kirk catches his scrutiny and ducks her gaze. A bashful moment, revealing more about her than Leonard suspects she'd like.

"Least we can do," Kirk replies after another moment's passed. "Don't be surprised if our doctor tries to conscript you. She's looking at your record the way Vulcans stare at pulsars."

Her smile widens and Leonard thinks he might not mind that at all.

-

The _Farragut_ is a gleaming beauty. She doesn't hold a candle to her XO, but Leonard falls a little love nonetheless. A man with his phobias shouldn't love space like he does, but you don't last in Starfleet without it.

Spending his days watching Joanna shadow Jane Kirk, Leonard falls in love all over again.

-

"Your daughter is wonderful," Jane says. She slides into the chair opposite him, her tray a dietitian's nightmare. The physician in him is screaming to get her a salad, but Leonard hushes him up. No need to be scaring her off just yet. "But, of course, you know that."

"Might've picked it up somewhere along the line," Leonard says, his smile softening the sharp edge on the words.

"Been a while since you saw it in person, hmm?" Jane observes as she tucks into her steak. There's that knowing tone in her voice, but he would have recognized the voice of experience without it.

"Longer than I'd like," Leonard sighs, deciding to spare her the gory details. "Was finishing up an assignment on Capella IV when my wife filed. Starfleet let me have leave which gave me a chance to spend it with Joanna. I—" he looks over, watching Joanna hold court with a clutch of _Farragut_ personnel. She wasn't the only child on the transport, but Leonard thinks, with more than a little pride, not a one of the others has drawn the adoration of the crew the way she has. She's got the works of them eating out of her hand and she's loving every second of it.

"You wanted her to know," Jane says, finishing his sentence. Definitely the voice of experience talking now. She smiles, sad, and adds, "No matter where you are in the universe, you'll always love her. Divorce be damned."

Leonard takes in that smile and sits back in his chair. He doesn't have to prompt her. She answers the question when it's still unspoken.

"His name is David," she says. "He lives with his mother on Earth." Her smile dims, but doesn't vanish. "Carol's never been Starfleet's biggest fan, so seeing him is difficult. We tried in the beginning, but—" she shakes her head and that brilliant smile returns, if just a little tinned and false. "You know how it goes."

"That I do," he says. Jane's eyes drop, focusing on her dinner, and he watches her eat. She doesn't get two bites into her before someone speaks to her. Almost every crewman that passes acknowledges her, smiling and nodding, a few more stop to talk.

It doesn't take long to cement his suspicion. They adore her and Leonard is in wholehearted agreement.

-

The Klingons aren't done with them. Nothing is ever that easy so, no one's surprised when two birds of prey de-cloak off port going on four days later. The Klingons, it seems, are pretty damn pissed off. Leonard wakes to the blaring klaxon of a red alert which is all the warning they get. The Klingons come out swinging and the ship's shuddering with the impact of weapons fire against the shields.

He's halfway out of bed, scrambling for his uniform, before his mind clears and he remembers where he is. He hasn't served on a starship in years, planet-bound missions keeping him away from them, but he feels the pull to Sickbay nonetheless. Within short order, he knows, the big injuries will start. Those with less serious injuries will remain at post, doing their job, waiting until the danger's past. When that happens, the true flood of wounded will start.

Right now is the waiting period.

"You should go, Daddy," Joanna says. "They'll need help." She's barefoot in her nightgown, clutching a stuffed toy, standing in the open door between their sleeping chambers. Jane's hand shows itself in their assigned berth. Leonard knows diplomatic quarters when he sees them.

"They'll be fine, baby," he says. He picks her up, bounces her once, breaking the tension and making her laugh, then puts her on his bed. Back against the wall where nothing can fall on her and he can keep her from falling. "There's a full medical staff down there. They're trained to handle situations like this. Me mucking about would just make a mess."

Which is true, but it doesn't stop the urge. He forces himself to sit by his daughter, arm wrapped around her thin shoulders, and adds, "We'll just wait here, let Jane and the captain do their jobs."

"I like Jane," Joanna says. "Can I keep her?"

Leonard huffs a laugh. "Fine by me, baby, fine by me." But only if she gets to sleep in his room. An idea he can wholeheartedly support. He knows there are all sorts of psychological explanations for this, but he doesn't care. Not when a single smile from Jane Kirk lights up an entire ship.

He tucks his daughter close against his side, feeling the ship shudder and shake around them, and closes his eyes. "We'll ask her later, okay?"

"Okay," Joanna agrees, snuggling close.

-

She's bleeding when the door slides open.

"What the hell happened to you?" he demands, sliding off the bed. Joanna rolls over with barely a mumble, tightening her grip on her stuffed toy, falling asleep before he can even reach Jane's side.

"Pitched battles are a bitch," Jane says. She smiles, split lip cracking and bleeding again, "Turns out, though, so am I."

He scowls, manhandling her over to a chair. "You should be in Sickbay." Her hair is a disheveled mess, blonde hair tangled and snagged, and he winces as the lurid bruise peeking out from beneath it. She took a hit, and hard, against something solid. He remembers the way the ship had moved, jerked and lurched, and wonders which one sent her flying across the bridge.

"Half the ship is in Sickbay," Jane replies, wincing when his touch gently probes the gash on her cheek. "They don't need me cluttering the mess up." She looks at him with eyes that are oddly intent. She watches him, careful and close, and he'd give anything to know what put that look there. "Besides, you're here."

"Just in it for my medkit, huh?" he asks, but gets said kit out anyway. Can't have her bleeding all over the Farragut's diplomatic quarters, now can he? "I feel so cheap."

"You shouldn't," Jane says. Her eyes glint with mischief now. "Not with those lines."

"Beg pardon?" he asks, looking sideways as he sets out his gear.

She tips her head, smiling at him. There's something personal about that smile. His. He doesn't know exactly how to explain it, but that smile is all his and he knows it. "You remind me of a ship, Bones. Seen a hell of a lot of battles, but down deep, where it counts, you're as solid as steel."

"Hell of an endorsement," he says, gruffer than he means, "considering your current situation."

"I've had worse," Jane says, her easy dismissal a testament to its veracity. "I'll have worse again. Part of the job." She looks past him to Joanna's sleeping form. "She come through it, okay?"

"Fine," he assures. "Better than I'll be when her mother gets wind of this."

"I know the terminal id of a good JAG lawyer," Jane replies. "Just tell Areel I sent you. She works wonders with custody cases. She's half the reason that Carole and I are still speaking to each other."

"Thanks." He runs a scanner over her and scowls. "Let me guess, the bulkhead looks worse than you do?"

"Actually, yes," Jane says. "It collapsed a few seconds later."

"Explains how you cracked three ribs," Leonard mutters. "Christ, Jane, you should be in Sickbay."

"I know." She bats at his hands. "Wanted to make sure you were fine first."

"I'm not a priority," he snaps, slapping a hypo to her neck. "For the pain." He grins at the scowl on her face. "Don't be such a child, Jane, was just a goddamn hypospray." He slaps the kit closed and then turns to her. "This is probably going to hurt anyway."

"Don't worry," Jane says, rubbing the injection site, "After that hypo, the only thing I'm feeling is the fucking pain in my neck."

"Quit cursing in front of my kid," he warns.

"You started it," she shoots back, batting her eyelashes innocently. "Or did you miss that part?"

He had, actually, but Leonard's not about to admit it. "Shut up and get moving before you break something else."

"Love you too, Bones," she drawls, leaning into him.

"Yeah, well, love me in Sickbay next time, okay?" he says. It comes out as a half-growl as he helps her to the door and beyond. "I don't like the look of some of those bruises and God only knows what you did to that head of yours."

She laughs, rich and lush. Nothing about this woman is ever halfway. He's known her for all of thirty seconds (give or take) and he can see it already. Jane Kirk approaches life at high warp, takes no prisoners, and leaves the galaxy rocked back on its proverbial heels. "Why Leonard McCoy, did you just proposition me?"

He misses a step, stumbles, and that makes her laugh even as she sucks in a pain-filled breath. "Son of a _bitch_ , Jane!"

Leonard props her against a wall, wishing like hell he'd brought the kit with him, and runs his fingers down her sides. He's guessing, wondering, but either way he doesn't like what he feels. "Woman, you're going to be the death of me."

She leers at him from a face that's wan and pinched. "Here's hoping, Bones, here's hoping."

He reaches for the wall comm. "And quit calling me that."

Jane winks. "No."

-

He's standing over her when she wakes. One slow blink of her lashes, then another, and she's smiling at him. "Ever get the feeling like we've done all this before?" she asks.

"No," he says, gruff, reading the monitor over her head. "We're never doing it again though. You scared the living hell out of me back there, Jane. You even know how badly you were injured?"

She shrugs, smiling easily. "Must be bad, I don't feel a thing and that means the good pain meds."

That she's got them catalogued scares him worse than her passing out on him, which she'd done about a second after he'd called for the med team. He puts down the padd he's holding and leans over her. "If you ever do this again, lady, I'll slap you silly."

"Mmm, promise?" she asks with a lazy stretch. She's a patient. She's _his_ patient ( _Farragut's_ CMO be damned) and he's not supposed to notice the way her breasts push against her shirt. Except, well, he does because she wants him to and that's going to be a problem. Whatever this is, and he's not fool enough to think it'll end with a return to Earth, he's gonna have to get used to saying no to this woman.

No matter how much one of her smiles makes him weak in the goddamn knees. "Dammit, Jane," he huffs.

She laughs and lays a hand on his arm. "Relax, Bones, I was worried about you two. Be damn embarrassing if I let you get killed a day after I save your asses. It would ruin my heroic reputation." Her gaze softens. "Besides, I could get used to having you two around."

He pulls his arm free, then catches her hand. "Same goes for us. Joanna wants to keep you."

Jane's eyes warm with undisguised delight. "I think I could go for that."

Standing up straight, Leonard lets her hand go. Her fingers slide lazily over his, sending shivers down his spine and, possibly, hers as well. "We'll worry about that later."

"We won't worry about it at all," Jane decides. "Things will work out." She relaxes back, confident, and maybe a little smug. Like the decisions are all made, everything set, and he didn't even get a say.

His eyes narrow. "You're going to be an excessively large pain in my ass, aren't you?"

"Yup," Jane's eyes close. "Trust me, Bones, it'll be good for you."

Damn, if he doesn't believe her.

-

"So, Bones, I hear you're in the market for a ship posting."

Three months without a word. Three goddamn months without so much as a 'how're you doin', Bones?' (and he actually misses hearing that) and then _this_. She's standing before him all rosy-cheeked and Starfleet finery, smiling cheerfully at him.

"You cut your hair," he says. It's short, brushing her chin, and it looks good. Being Jane, though, he's pretty sure she could shave it and paint her skull Andorian blue and he'd think the same damn thing. Not that it matters. It's not what he wants to say. He wants to snap at her, growl, ask her where in the fucking hell she's been. He doesn't. Just stares at her and waits to hear what's next.

"I did." Jane nods, and, just for a second, he can see the ghost of something awful in her eyes.

They're both in uniform, standing outside Starfleet HQ, but he reaches for her hand nonetheless. "Jane?"

"Bad day, Bones," she says. "Bad fucking day." She leans forward, for a moment, just far enough that he can feel the suggestion of her body against his. "Worse than the day we met." She looks weary, again only for a moment, and, fuck, her self-control scares the hell out of him.

"Tell me?" He literally watches her shake off the melancholy and beam a smile at him as if everything's just fine-fucking-dandy.

"No." Jane nods at a passing admiral then focuses on him again. "So, I hear you're headed back into space?"

He nods.

Jane's smile dims. "Areel didn't help, huh?"

"No, she did," he sighs, "but—" Leonard looks at her. "You know how it is."

"Yeah," Jane nods. "I do."

They both exhale, quiet, and heavy. It's a sound full of a thousand different arguments with two different women who have more in common than they'll ever know.

Leonard looks at her. "So, any openings on the _Farragut_?"

Jane smiles, just a little, slow and impish. "No," she says, "but I hear there are a couple on the _Enterprise_." She leans against the wall. "I was on my way to a meeting with Captain Pike, feel like tagging along?"

Someday Leonard is going to learn how to say no to this woman.

Today's not that day.


End file.
